Pernod Ricard announced it will invest EUR 250 million to build a new distillery in Midleton Co. Cork in order meet demand and ensure the necessary future production capacity for its portfolio of Irish whiskeys globally. The distillery will produce some of the world's most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, including Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare, the Spot family and Method and Madness.

The new distillery will be situated on a 55-acre site adjacent and connected to the world-famous Midleton Distillery. Subject to a successful planning application and meeting all licensing requirements, the new distillery will distil pot still and grain whiskey with grain intake, brewing, fermentation, and distillation facilities incorporated into the new 55-acre site. The new distillery is expected to generate up to 100 highly skilled new jobs for the region over time once the distillery is operational in 2025, and circa 800 jobs during the construction phase.

Irish Distillers recently announced plans to invest EUR50 million to fund projects aimed at transforming Midleton Distillery into a carbon neutral operation by the end of 2026 by leveraging breakthrough emissions reducing technology to reduce energy use. In line with Irish Distillers' ambition, the new distillery will also be a carbon neutral operation. The new site will also incorporate various environmental projects which will be developed in order to enhance biodiversity and protect local wildlife.

An expanded distilling capacity is expected to increase Midleton Distillery's requirement for barley and malted barley by up to 50%, which the company intends to source from Irish farmers. The Irish Distillers project team is partnering with engineering and architecture consultancy firm Arup on the initial design and with Harry Walsh Associates on the planning application. Irish Distillers is engaging with all relevant stakeholders and consulting with community groups in the locality as part of the pre-planning process.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to Cork County Council towards the end of 2022 and, if successful, construction will commence in 2023 with plans for the distillery to be operational in 2025.